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Board Members

The Darwin Centre Board of Directors

Ted retired in 2010 as Chief Executive of Milford Haven Port Authority, the UK’s 3rd largest port, after a career in transport with both the public (British Rail, Sealink, Caledonian MacBrayne) and private (Sea Containers, Stena) sectors, managing ports and shipping services around the UK. Now firmly rooted in Pembrokeshire and Wales he is active in a number of organisations including being chairman of the Darwin Centre where he has been a trustee for 12 years, Vice Chairman of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, and a member of the Passenger Transport Users’ Committee for Wales, and of the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for Wales

Richard J Packman (Secretary)

After graduating from Cardiff University Richard held senior positions with international industrial and healthcare companies and spent a number of years overseas in Europe, N America and the Middle East, including a 1½ year tour of duty in Germany holding the position of International Product Manager then Production Director for a German owned chemical company and finally Controller of Marketing for two divisions of an international pharmaceutical company. He returned to Pembrokeshire initially to take up the position of Project Manager for the Milford Haven Waterway Enterprise Zone with PBI before assuming the position of Managing Director in 1987. He is a former director of Better Business Wales, former Chairman of Wales Enterprise Ltd and former director of Business Connect Wales. He retired from PBI in 2008.

Dr Barry Walters

Barry graduated with a BSc in Management and Chemical Science from UMIST in 1984 and then pursued a PhD in Electrochemistry studying at both City University and Xiamen University in China. He has also completed an MSc in Information Systems. Following a brief spell teaching computing at Croydon College, Barry joined Kingston University in 1990. Lecturing in the Business Faculty. At Kingston Barry held various posts before becoming the acting Head of School of Business Information Management. He played an active role in the coordination and teaching of postgraduate management development programmes, researched into business use and application of software and lectured on a range of undergraduate courses. Barry spent five months continuing his research interests at Halmstad University, Sweden, before being appointed Assistant Principal at Pembrokeshire College in 2002 and Deputy Principal in July 2012. He is currently responsible for curriculum, quality, institutional planning, learner services and international operations and has maintained his interest in Science through his involvement in the College’s STEM programme and the Darwin Centre’s activities.

Professor Anthony Campbell MA PhD FLS FRSA

Tony is one of life’s genuine enthusiasts. As well as being Scientific Director of the Darwin Centre, he is Professor in the Welsh School of Pharmacy, at Cardiff University. He obtained a first class degree in Natural Sciences at Pembroke College, Cambridge in 1967, and a PhD in Biochemistry in 1971. He is now an internationally acclaimed biochemist, a world expert in the science of lactose and food intolerance, and in animals that make light – bioluminescence. The technology he invented, as a result of curiosity about how a luminous British jelly fish produces its flash, is now used in several 100 million clinical tests per year. He has published over 200 scientific papers, 8 books, including a recipe book for people suffering from lactose intolerance and has several patents being exploited world-wide. This technology received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education in 1998, and was selected in 2006 by Universities UK in their Eureka project as one of the 100 most important discoveries and inventions from UK Universities in the past 50 years. He is passionate about communicating cutting edge science to young people and the public, founding the Darwin Centre in 1994, and the highly acclaimed Pembrokeshire Darwin Science Festival in 2000. In 2009 he gave 35 Darwin lectures as part of Darwin200. He gives lectures regularly to schools and the public, and runs hunts for glow-worms and other creatures that glow in the dark.

Dr. Stephanie. B. Matthews MBBCh, PhD, FRCPath

Consultant in Medical Biochemistry and Immunology. Specialist in Food Intolerance and Lipidology. Stephanie qualified from the University of Wales College of Medicine in 1978. Following house jobs in South Wales, she did a PhD in Cardiovascular Biochemistry and re-entered the medical ladder becoming a consultant at Llandough Hospital in 1988 where she stayed for a further 20years. She set up the lipid services there including the pioneering LDL Apheresis unit. She is also an expert in lactose and food intolerance and has published widely on the subject including the recommended diagnostic pathway. She has a strong interest in public engagement and is a director of the charity Darwin Centre for Biology and Medicine and the medical media company Funky Medics.

Professor Kenneth Wann BSc, PhD

Ken is currently Professor of Cell Physiology and Deputy Dean of the University Graduate College in Cardiff University. He has previously held academic positions in Aberdeen University (1972-82), the MRC Clinical Research Centre in Harrow, London (1986-1990) and Royal Free – University College London (1990-1996) and was also a senior scientist at the Wellcome foundation in Beckenham, Kent (1982-86). He has 40 years of research experience in both the private and public sector, and of training and supporting doctoral candidates (PhD and MD) in all three University environments, the MRC Institute and the Pharmaceutical Industry. He has sat on UK Research Council Boards and Sub-Committees, and the MRC College of Experts and Advisory Board. He has an International agenda having recruited students in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and is trainer on residential doctoral workshops in several countries in Europe (Austria, Italy and Slovakia) He has been a participant in British Council and Erasmus+ / Horizon 2020 events hosted by National Offices abroad, the focus being doctoral education

Councillor Paul Harries

Paul Harries is the Pembrokeshire County Councillor representative for Newport. He sits on the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Paul is a local authority appointed member of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and he currently sits on the board of PLANED. As a long serving Newport Town Councillor, Paul has a keen interest in tourism, coastal issues and all matters concerning Newport. Previously he worked for many years as a Petroleum Chemist Inspector at Milford Haven.

Dean Flood Dip Sci, BSc

After graduating from the University of Portsmouth Dean worked in the offshore oil industry as Geologist for Halliburton Manufacturing Services. He was contracted to a number of oil companies including Shell, BP and Chevron working on both exploration rigs and production platforms. He entered the teaching profession in 1997 as a primary class teacher at Sageston School. He has been Deputy Headteacher at St Marys School Pembroke Dock and Headteacher at Haverfordwest VC Junior School. Currently Headteacher of Mary Immaculate RC School in Haverfordwest, Dean has maintained his interest in science through developing curricular and enrichment opportunities with both staff and pupils.

David Clee

After graduating from London University in 1981 David’s career pathway started in the retail sector where he gained his first management position with the opening of a new store in Tewkesbury. In 1985 David transferred to the banking sector where he rose to the position of branch manager of a building society with some responsibility for training staff for the Chartered institute examinations. In 1997 David decided to pursue a career in education/training by returning to Aberystwyth University to gain his PGCE in Science. After graduating David gained employment at Milford Haven School where he now holds the position of subject leader for Biology and second in the Science department.

Dr Verity Jones

Verity has worked in a range of educational settings over the last 20 years. Her doctoral research investigated how children learn – with specific reference to science education. She became an Education Advisor to the National Botanic Garden of Wales and Europe’s leading eco centre, The Centre for Alternative Technology. During this time, she developed a range of resources for WJEC, as well as national and international organisations.

More recently, while working as Deputy Head of a Community School in West Wales, Verity played a central role in the strategic development of the More Able and Talented Programme for Pembrokeshire, this leading her to become an Advisor for London Gifted and Talented (LGT) and later developing the Bristol Gifted and Talented programme. In addition to this she also manages the content of the MATWales website that LGT set up for several Welsh regions and is an Honorary Associate Research Fellow with Exeter University as part of an international training programme.

David Lort-Phillips

A big thank-you to our partner and core sponsor

Testimonials

"I enjoy every single Darwin event. I like learning new things and it has changed my aspect on science in our daily lives. The Darwin team is always very enthusiastic and make sure we all have fun whilst learning."
Neve - St Francis School